WS350~ Sex, Gender, and Race~ Winter 2006

“Music, Society, and Our Culture”

Tasia Brown, Jolene Kneisler, and Krystina Asher

       Music is one of the most important factors in each cultural society. It is much like poetry because it can give hope, rage, guidance, motivation, and much more. Music helps spread knowledge and word because of its capability of being spread throughout the masses. Thankfully, society has accepted some beautiful songs and unfortunately, some hateful songs as well. Those hateful songs are only created through the implications of the mythical “norm.” Despite all the negative portrayals of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation within society, Bell Hooks has come to a conclusion in his written text, Love as the Practice of Freedom. Hooks says that, “A love ethic emphasizes the importance of service to others” (249) and will help bring all towards liberation from our societal “norms”. We are asked to look beyond the needs of ourselves and self love in order to look toward the needs of others and the love they demand. 

     Through careful analysis and critique, race, gender, class, and sexual orientation are played out in ways that challenge or reinscribe dominant social norms through the lyrics of a variety of artists presented.

 

Tupac Shakur -Changes

Come on come on I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask 

myself

Is life worth living should I blast myself? 

Iâm tired of beinâ  poor and even worse Iâm black

My stomach hurts so Iâm lookinâ for a purse to snatch

Cops give a damn about a negro pull the trigger kill a nigga heâs a 

hero

Give crack to the kids who the hell cares one less ugly mouth on the 

welfare

First ship âem dope & let âem deal the brothers

Give âem guns step back watch âem kill each other

Itâs time to fight back thatâs what huey said

2 shots in the dark now hueyâs dead

I got love for my brother but we can never go no where

Unless we share with each other we gotta start makinâ changes

Learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangers

And thatâs how itâs supposed to be

How can the devil take a brother if heâs close to me? 

Iâd love to go back to when we played as kids

But things changed, and thatâs the way it is

Come on come on thatâs just the way it is thingsâll never be the 

same

Thatâs just the way it is aww yeah

I see no changes all I see is racist faces

Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races

We under I wonder what it takes to make this

One better place, letâs erase the wasted

Take the evil out the people theyâll be acting right

âcause both black and white is smokinâ crack tonight

And only time we chill is when we kill each other

It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other

And although it seems heaven sent we ainât ready, to see a black 

president, uhh

It ainât a secret donât conceal the fact

The penitentiaryâs packed, and itâs filled with blacks

But some things will never change

Try to show another way but you stayinâ in the dope game

Now tell me whatâs a mother to do beinâ real donât appeal to the 

brother in you

You gotta operate the easy way

I made a g today but you made it in a sleazy way

Sellinâ crack to the kid. I gotta get paid,

Well hey, well thatâs the way it is

We gotta make a change...

Itâs time for us as a people to start makinâ some changes.

Letâs change the way we eat, letâs change the way we live And 

letâs change the way we treat each other.

You see the old way wasnât working so itâs on us to do

What we gotta do, to survive.

And still I see no changes canât a brother get a little peace

Itâs war on the streets & the war in the Middle East

Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs so the police can 

bother me

And I ainât never did a crime I ainât have to do

But now Iâm back with the blacks givinâ it back to you

Donât let âem jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp slap 

you up

You gotta learn to hold ya own

They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone

But tell the cops they canât touch this

I donât trust this when they try to rush I bust this

Thatâs the sound of my tool you say it ainât cool my mama didnât 

raise no fool

And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped & I never get to lay 

back

âcause I always got to worry âbout the pay backs

Some buck that I roughed up way back cominâ back after all these 

years

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat thatâs the way it is 

            In the song "Changes" by Tupac Shakur, race and class are 

reinforced as well as challenged as he expresses his views on the two. This 

song is coming from the point of view of a poor and Black man that lives 

in a very low class neighborhood, considered to be a  âœnormâ for 

many Black people. Tupac explains how these factors effect his everyday 

behavior, which may seem to reinforce social norms, but he is simply 

stating the realities of his life. Also in the song, Tupac asks that Black 

people work to change the image and stereotypes that society has placed 

on them as a whole. Some stereotypes addressed in this song include 

poverty, Black on Black crime, gang violence, welfare, using and dealing 

drugs, and imprisonment.

            Tupac begins the song by asking if life is even worth living because 

not only is he poor, but he is Black. It is a common assumption that 

Black people are not financially well off, here this misconception is 

reinforced. He goes on to say, âœMy stomach hurts so Iâm looking for a 

purse to snatch.â He feels compelled to steal from another person to 

have a chance at survival. Thievery, which is also perceived as a social 

norm for Black people, is being reinforced in this lyric.

            Tupac also reinforces that Black people participate in Black on Black crime by engaging in gang violence, and selling drugs to one another. 

âœGive âem guns step back watch â™em kill each other I made a g 

today but you made it in a sleazy way Sellinâ crack to the kid. I gotta 

get paidâ  However, Tupac begins to challenge what society views as the norm by stating that both Black and White people smoke crack, which is believed to be a problem only in Black communities. âœcause both black and white is smokinâ crack tonightâ He goes further by insisting that the 

Black race needs to heal one another and change the way they live and 

treat each other âœI got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere 

Unless we share with each other we gotta start makinâ changes Learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangersâ, this is the 

ultimate way to a better existence, as well as the opportunity to shatter the stereotypes that have been placed upon them.                           

Tasia Brown

 

www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/features/discrimination/saigon/

www.chicagoreporter.com/2001/3-2001/baby/baby2.htm

mundanebehavior.org/issues/v3n3/jeffries.htm

 

 

Eminem  
Without Me  

Two trailer park girls go round the outside;

round the outside, round the outside

*scratches*

Two trailer park girls go round the outside;

round the outside, round the outside

*scratches*

Guess who's back

Back again

Shady's back

Tell a friend

Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back

guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back.. {*Eminem hums*}

[Verse 1: Eminem]

I've created a monster, cause nobody wants to see Marshall no more

They want Shady, I'm chopped liver

Well if you want Shady, this is what I'll give ya

A little bit of weed mixed with some hard liquor

Some vodka to jump start my heart quicker

than the shocks when I get shocked at the hospital

when the doctor when I'm not co-operating

When I'm rockin the table while he's operating 

You waited this long, now stop debating

Cause I'm back, I'm on the rag and ovulating

I know that you got a job Ms. Cheney

but your husband's heart problem's complicating

So the FCC won't let me be

or let me be me, so let me see

They try to shut me down on MTV

But it feels so empty, without me

So, come on and dip, bum on your lips

Fuck that, cum on your lips, and some on your tits

And get ready, cause this shit's about to get heavy

I just settled all my lawsuits, Fuck You Debbie!

Chorus:

Now this looks like a job for me

So everybody, just follow me

Cause we need a little, controversy

Cause it feels so empty, without me

I said-this looks like a job for me

So everybody, just follow me

Cause we need a little, controversy

Cause it feels so empty, without me

Little Hallions, kids feelin rebellious

Embarrassed their parents still listen to Elvis

They start feelin like prisoners helpless

'til someone comes along on a mission and yells BITCH!!!

A visionary, vision of scary

Could start a revolution, pollutin the airwaves

A rebel, so just let me revel and bask

in the fact that I got everyone kissin my ass 

And it's a disaster, such a catastrophe

for you can see so damn much of my ass; you asked for me?

Well I'm back, na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na

Fix your damn antenna tune it in and then I'm gonna

enter in, under your skin like a splinter

The center of attention, back for the winter

I'm interesting, the best thing since wrestling

Investing in your kid's ears a nest egg

Testing, attention please

Feel the tension, soon as someone mentions me

Here's my ten cents, my two cents is free

A nuisance, who sent? You sent for me?

Chorus:

Now this looks like a job for me

So everybody, just follow me

Cause we need a little, controversy

Cause it feels so empty, without me

I said-this looks like a job for me

So everybody, just follow me

Cause we need a little, controversy

Cause it feels so empty, without me

A-tisket a-tasket, I go tit for tat with

anybody who's talkin this shit, that shit

Chris Kirkpatrick, you can get your ass kicked

worse than those little Limp Bizkit bastards

And Moby? You can get stomped by Obie

You thirty-six year old boy fag, blow me

You don't know me, you're too old, let go

It's over, nobody listens to techno

Now let's go, just gimme the signal

I'll be there with a whole list full of new insults

I been dope, suspenseful with a pencil

ever since Prince turned himself into a symbol

But sometimes the shit just seems

everybody only wants to discuss me

So this must mean I'm dis-gus-ting

But it's just me, I'm just obscene

And though I'm not the first king of controversy

I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley

do black music so selfishly

and used it to get myself wealthy

Here's a concept that works

Twenty million other white rappers emerge

But no matter how many fish in the sea

It'll be so empty, without me

Chorus:

Now this looks like a job for me

So everybody, just follow me

Cause we need a little, controversy

Cause it feels so empty, without me

I said-this looks like a job for me

So everybody, just follow me

Cause we need a little, controversy

Cause it feels so empty, without me

Kids!

      Eminem is a vocal superstar who has made it to the top of the Billboard charts with most of his albums. I listened to him while I was in high school, not fully understanding the content with which he rhymed. Fortunately, through the readings from Peggy McIntosh, Audre Lorde, and Amanda Udis-Kessler I have become aware of the mythical “norms” placed upon race, gender, class, and sexual orientation that society often believes to be real. Eminem portrays such mythical “norms” in his lyrics and music videos by using offensive verse directed at many different folks. In the line, “Two trailer park girls go round the outside; round the outside, round the outside…” Eminem is pin-pointing the stereotypical lower class woman. This verse may be taken numerous different ways, but I personally believe that he is trying to poke fun at the poorer class. Perhaps he is focusing this statement towards the so-called “white trash” or possibly targeting women in general. Eminem is basically adding to the stereotype that people who are less fortunate than others live in trailer parks and mostly consist of women. The next two verses I would like to take a look at are “Cause I'm back, I'm on the rag and ovulating” and “'til someone comes along on a mission and yells BITCH!!!” Both of these are directly defaming the female character and are both equally offensive. The singer is trying to showboat his masculinity by demeaning women. The mythical “norm” is that women are to listen to this music and not be offended. They may even be expected to find these lyrics humorous. The “norm” regarding gender would be that women are less than men and they are to be accepting of what man creates. Next, I would like to examine Eminem’s response to another artist named Moby, “And Moby? You can get stomped by Obie You thirty-six year old boy fag, blow me.” This lyric uses an extremely offensive word, “fag,” and misuses the word against another person to insult them. The mythical “norm” being represented here is that homosexuals are unacceptable and you should be insulted if anyone associates you with one. In society the terms “fag” and “that’s gay” are thrown around as slang for the word “stupid” or “lame.” Unfortunately, this artist’s view is blurred, though definitely projects his point on his feelings toward the gay community. Finally, I would like to look at the lyrics “I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley do black music so selfishly and used it to get myself wealthy.” Eminem is openly stating that he took unoriginal ideas stemmed from another community and used it greedily for his own personal gain. It sounds very familiar; kind of like the white man in the pin-striped suit who used the labor of other folks to benefit himself. The mythical “norm” in this case is that society does accept Eminem taking the music and using it in a selfish way and is now providing him with bragging rights. It has been said that this particular artist has taken a turn for the better by not slandering women or gays in his songs anymore, but that does not fully indicate that the same holds true for his beliefs.

Jolene Kneisler

Three web sites:

http://www.unitehere.org/

http://women-alive.org/

http://www.feminist.org/

 

 

 

 

"Don't Call Me White"

Don't call me white, Don't call me white
Don't call me white, Don't call me white

The connotations wearing my nerves thin
Could it be semantics generating the mess we're in?
I understand that language breeds stereotype
But what's the explanation for the malice, for the spite?

Don't call me white, Don't call me white
Don't call me white, Don't call me white

I wasn't brought here, I was born
Circumsized, categorized, allegiance sworn,
Does this mean I have to take such shit
For being fairskinned? No!
I ain't a part of no conspiracy,
I'm just you're average Joe.

Don't call me white, Don't call me white
Don't call me white, Don't call me white

Represents everything I hate,
The soap shoved in your mouth to cleanse the mind
The vast majority of sheep
A buttoned collar, starched and bleached
Constricting veins, the blood flow to the brain slows
They're so fuckin' ordinary white

Don't call me white, Don't call me white
Don't call me white, Don't call me white

We're better off this way
Say what you're gonna say
So go ahead and label me
An asshole cause I can
Accept responsibility, for what I've done
But not for who I am

Don't call me white, Don't call me white
Don't call me white, Don't call me white
Don't call me white, Don't call me white

                   

               

             In this song “Don’t Call Me White”, by NOFX, on the album punk in drublic made in 1994, they are talking about all the negative connotations that follow being white. I realize that in this class, thus far, we have spoke of racial stereotypes and oppression, but being white I feel like there are many stereotypes that are placed, and for good reason.  This song clearly states these labels and frustrations.  Songs are one of the strongest forms of communication to our age group in American society.  Good or bad connotations, negative or positive influence, it is what it is and we soak it up.  Songs are a form of politics and these artists definitely get their points made.  Songs form our views on society, racial lines, sexuality, and politics.

                   I feel like this song fights back the stereotypes and labels placed on whites, and is a well done song lyrically.  He essentially is calling for peace in our racial connotations, and asking for peace of mind in society.  But due to the fact that society judges and will remain to that he cant be anything else than what he is and that is white, “So go ahead and label me An asshole cause I can Accept responsibility, for what I've done But not for who I am.”

                   I have highlighted the key lyrics in red that I believe reinstate what I have said above.

-Krystina Asher
[ http://www.plyrics.com/ ]

http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/nofx/dontcallmewhite.html

http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/history/history.html

http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/hate_music_in_the_21st_century.htm?Multi_page_sections=sHeading_4